Blades's father is a percussionist-turned-detective and his mother was a singer and radio performer. His grandfather, Reuben Blades, was an English-speaking native of St. Lucia who came to work on the canal, as he tells in the song West Indian Man on the album Amor y Control ("That's where the Blades comes from.") (1992)
After obtaining degrees in political science and law at Panama's Universidad Nacional, Blades worked at the Bank of Panama as a lawyer. In 1974, Blades moved to the United States, staying temporarily with his exiled parents in Miami before moving to New York City. Blades began his musical career in New York writing songs while working in the mailroom at Fania Records, and soon was working with salseros Ray Barretto and Larry Harlow. Shortly thereafter Blades started collaborating with trombonist and band leader Willie Colón, and they recorded several albums together. Their album Siembra (1978) became the best-selling salsa record in history.
After 1980, Blades tried to terminate his contract with Fania, but he was contractually obliged to record several more albums. These are generally considered toss-offs and Blades himself told his fans to avoid them. When he was free of his contractual obligations, Blades signed with another label, Elektra, and assembled a top-notch band (known variously as Seis Del Solar or Son Del Solar) and recorded a number of albums with them.
In the early 1980s, Blades began his career in films as a composer of soundtracks.
In 1982, Blades got his first acting role in The Last Fight writing the title song as well as portraying a singer-turned-boxer vying for a championship against a fighter who was played by real life world champion boxer Salvador Sánchez.
In 1985, Blades gained widespread recognition as co-writer and star of the independent film Crossover Dreams as a New York salsa singer willing to do anything to break into the mainstream. This same year he earned a master's degree in international law from Harvard University. He was also the subject of Robert Mugge's documentary The Return of Ruben Blades, which debuted at that year's Denver Film Festival. During the 1990s, he acted in films, mounted his unsuccessful presidential bid, founding the party Movimiento Papa Egoró, and continued to make salsa records.
His many film appearances include The Milagro Beanfield War (1988), The Two Jakes (1990), Mo' Better Blues (1990), and Devil's Own (1997). In 1999, he played Mexican artist Diego Rivera in Tim Robbins' Cradle Will Rock.
In 1997, Blades headed the cast of singer/songwriter Paul Simon's first Broadway musical, The Capeman, based on a true story about a violent youth who becomes a poet in prison. In the 2003 film Once Upon a Time in Mexico, starring Johnny Depp, Antonio Banderas, and Willem Dafoe, he played the role of a retired FBI agent.
Blades' 1999 album Tiempos which he made with the 12-piece Costa Rican band Editus, represented a break from his salsa past and a rejection of commercial trends in Latin music.
Some might say that "his biggest mistake was releasing an English-language album in 1988 in the wake of his 1987 Grammy for Escenas" [sic] but in fact, he tends to avoid commercial choices. After winning his first Grammy for Escenas in 1986 he recorded the album Agua de Luna based on the short stories of Gabriel Garcia Marquez in 1987. The next year he released the English language collaboration with rock artists Sting, Elvis Costello, and Lou Reed the same year as Antecedente, another Grammy winner. In 2003 he followed the World Music Grammy winner Mundo with a web site free download project. As he said in 2005 when receiving the ASCAP Founders Award about his non-commercial choices, "That's the way I think."
In 2004 he put his artistic careers on hold when he began serving as Minister of Tourism of Panama.
Source: Wikipedia®
Amor Y Control
Rubén Blades Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Después de ver a mi mamá
Luchando contra un cáncer
Que no se puede curar
Vi pasar a una familia
Al frente iba un señor de edad
Una doña, dos muchachas
De la mano del señor
Un hombre joven caminaba
Cabizbajo y luciendo arrepentido
Que el era la causa de
Una situación familiar
De la que nos enteramos al oír
Al señor gritar
Aunque tu seas un ladrón
Y aunque no tienes razón
Yo tengo la obligación de socorrerte
Y por mas drogas que uses
Y por mas que nos abuses
La familia y yo tenemos que atenderte
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Solo quien tiene hijos entiende
Que el deber de un padre no acaba jamas
Que el amor de padre y madre
No se cansa de entregar
Que deseamos para ustedes lo que nunca
Hemos tenido, que a pesar de los problemas
Familia es familia y cariño es cariño
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
Los vi marcharse con su llanto
Su laberinto enfrentando
En la buena y en la mala juntos caminando
Y pensé mucho en mi familia
Los quise tanto aquel momento
Que sentí que me ahogaba en sentimiento
Aquel muchacho y mi pobre madre
Dos personas distintas,pero,
Dos tragedias iguales
Cuanto control y cuanto amor
Tiene que haber en una casa
Mucho control y mucho amor
Para enfrentar a la desgracia
Por mas problemas que existan
Dentro en tu casa, por mas que
Creas que tu amor es causa perdida
Ten la seguridad de que ellos te quieren
Y que ese cariño dura toda la vida
Cuanto control y cuanto amor
Tiene que haber en una casa
Mucho control y mucho amor
Para enfrentar a la desgracia
Mantén amor y control siempre ante
La pena combinando la esperanza
Y el sentimiento dando la espalda
No se van los problemas
Ni la impaciencia resuelve los sufrimientos
Cuanto control y cuanto amor
Tiene que haber en una casa
Mucho control y mucho amor
Para enfrentar a la desgracia
Amor y control
Amor y control
Amor y control
In "Amor y Control," Rubén Blades tells the story of two families going through difficult times. The first family is his own, dealing with his mother's cancer diagnosis. The second family consists of an older man, a woman, two young girls, and several other people walking out of the hospital. The man is walking with a young man who looks remorseful and ashamed, having caused a family issue that is causing the older man to shout in anger. The young man is possibly a drug addict or a thief, indicated by the lines "por mas drogas que uses" and "aunque tu seas un ladrón." Regardless of the issue, the older man still feels obligated to help him, despite the family's pain caused by his actions.
The song emphasizes the importance of family and the deep love and responsibility parents feel toward their children, even in difficult and trying times. Blades highlights the value of "amor y control," the combination of love and discipline, needed to face hardship together as a family.
Overall, "Amor y Control" is a powerful tribute to the strength of families and the love and responsibility parents have for their children.
Line by Line Meaning
Saliendo del hospital
After visiting my mother who is fighting an incurable cancer, I left the hospital.
Después de ver a mi mamá
I saw my mother during my visit to the hospital.
Luchando contra un cáncer
My mother is battling cancer.
Que no se puede curar
The cancer cannot be cured.
Vi pasar a una familia
I saw a family passing by.
Al frente iba un señor de edad
An elderly man was leading the family.
Una doña, dos muchachas
There was a woman and two young girls with them.
Y varias personas mas
There were other people with them too.
De la mano del señor
The young man was walking holding the elderly man's hand.
Un hombre joven caminaba
A young man was walking with them.
Cabizbajo y luciendo arrepentido
He was looking downcast and appeared to be repentant.
Que el era la causa de
He was the cause of something.
Una situación familiar
A family situation.
De la que nos enteramos al oír
We learned about this situation by overhearing them.
Al señor gritar
The elderly man was shouting.
Aunque tu seas un ladrón
Even if you are a thief.
Y aunque no tienes razón
And even if you are wrong.
Yo tengo la obligación de socorrerte
I have an obligation to help you.
Y por mas drogas que uses
Even if you use drugs.
Y por mas que nos abuses
Even if you mistreat us.
La familia y yo tenemos que atenderte
The family and I have to take care of you.
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Solo quien tiene hijos entiende
Only those who have children understand.
Que el deber de un padre no acaba jamas
A parent's duty never ends.
Que el amor de padre y madre
A parent's love.
No se cansa de entregar
Never stops giving.
Que deseamos para ustedes lo que nunca
We wish for you what we never had.
Hemos tenido, que a pesar de los problemas
We have not had despite the problems.
Familia es familia y cariño es cariño
Family is family, and love is love.
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
Los vi marcharse con su llanto
I saw them leaving with tears.
Su laberinto enfrentando
Facing their own labyrinth.
En la buena y en la mala juntos caminando
Walking together through thick and thin.
Y pensé mucho en mi familia
I thought a lot about my family.
Los quise tanto aquel momento
I loved them so much at that moment.
Que sentí que me ahogaba en sentimiento
I felt overwhelmed with emotion.
Aquel muchacho y mi pobre madre
That young man and my poor mother.
Dos personas distintas, pero,
Two different people, but,
Dos tragedias iguales
Two equal tragedies.
Cuanto control y cuanto amor
How much control and how much love.
Tiene que haber en una casa
Needs to be in a family.
Mucho control y mucho amor
A lot of control and a lot of love.
Para enfrentar a la desgracia
To face the misfortune.
Por mas problemas que existan
No matter how many problems exist.
Dentro en tu casa, por mas que
In your own home, no matter how much
Creas que tu amor es causa perdida
You think that your love is a lost cause.
Ten la seguridad de que ellos te quieren
Be certain that they love you.
Y que ese cariño dura toda la vida
And that love lasts a lifetime.
Mantén amor y control siempre ante
Always maintain love and control in the face of
La pena combinando la esperanza
Sorrow, but also combining hope.
Y el sentimiento dando la espalda
Leaving behind the feelings.
No se van los problemas
Problems don't just go away.
Ni la impaciencia resuelve los sufrimientos
And impatience doesn't solve the suffering.
Amor y control
Love and control.
Amor y control
Love and control.
Amor y control
Love and control.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Ruben Blades
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
hector villarroel
LETRA!
Saliendo del hospital
Después de ver a mi mamá
Luchando contra un cáncer
Que no se puede curar
Vi pasar a una familia
Al frente iba un señor de edad
Una doña, dos muchachas
Y varias personas mas
De la mano del señor
Un hombre joven caminaba
Cabizbajo y luciendo arrepentido
el era la causa de
Una discusión familiar
De la que nos enteramos al oír
Al señor gritar
Aunque tu seas un ladrón
Y aunque no tienes razón
Yo tengo la obligación de socorrerte
Y por mas drogas que uses
Y por mas que nos abuses
La familia y yo tenemos que atenderte
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Solo quien tiene hijos entiende
Que el deber de un padre no acaba jamas
Que el amor de padre y madre
No se cansa de entregar
Que deseamos para ustedes lo que nunca
Hemos tenido, que a pesar de los problemas
Familia es familia y cariño es cariño
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
Los vi marcharse con su llanto
Su laberinto enfrentando
En la buena y en la mala juntos caminando
Y pensé mucho en mi familia
Los quise tanto aquel momento
Que sentí que me ahogaba en sentimiento
Aquel muchacho y mi pobre madre
Dos personas distintas, pero,
Dos tragedias iguales
Cuanto control y cuanto amor
Tiene que haber en una casa
Mucho control y mucho amor
Para enfrentar a la desgracia
Por mas problemas que existan
Dentro en tu casa, por mas que
Creas que tu amor es causa perdida
Ten la seguridad de que ellos te quieren
Y que ese cariño dura toda la vida
Cuanto control y cuanto amor
Tiene que haber en una casa
Mucho control y mucho amor
Para enfrentar a la desgracia
Mantén amor y control siempre ante
La pena combinando la esperanza
Y el sentimiento dando la espalda
No se van los problemas
Ni la impaciencia resuelve los sufrimientos
Cuanto control y cuanto amor
Tiene que haber en una casa
Mucho control y mucho amor
Para enfrentar a la desgracia
Amor y control
Amor y control
Amor y control
Victor Valderrama
Ésta canción no se baila, se escucha, se siente, se reflexiona y invitable no llorar.
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@BETSY LISET VALDEZ RUGEL e invenitable llorar, al agregar el no es redundancia.
Ubeimar Gutiérrez
Total que mensaje
Gloria Ines Santa Toro
Uuy si tengo un hijo preso soy de colombia y mi hijo🥺 esta en Argentina soy cristiana pero está canción me saca lagrimas pero tengo la fe y la certeza de que todo saldra bien
Hanoy Edwards
Cada vez que la escucho me hace llorar.
Mirna Díaz Silva
muy hermosa mi vecino siempre la pone imposible no escucharla bonita reflexión
Benito Abrego
Mi padre falleció el 16 de noviembre de año 2023 yo siempre cuando estaba en vida escuchaba esta canción y cuando escucho pienso que el todavía esta en vida o en casa es triste 😢
Adriana Tejada
Papá nos la dedico a toda la familia antes de morir nos dijo que era momento que siempre estuviéramos unidas y nos amaramos mucho😢
Elmenorbettas
💔💔🥲 lo siento broo ánimos Dios te bendiga
Bryan Quiroz
Mi hermana me la cantaba siempre .! Ami .! Yo estaba perdido en las drogas y esa mujer nunca me dejo .! Me Encerró en una clínica .! Me recupere y ahora estoy en 🇺🇸 le doy gracais ami Dios por darme 2 madres mi hermana y mi Mamá .!! Las amo mucho